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Motorcycles are a common mode of transportation in low and middle-income countries. Tanzania, in particular, has experienced an increased use of motorcycles in the last decade. In Dar es Salaam, motorcycles provide door-to-door travel, and often operate where more conventional services are uneconomical or physically impossible to maneuver. Although motorcycles play a crucial role in improving mobility in the city, they have several safety issues. This study focuses on identifying factors influencing severity of motorcycle crashes. From 2013-2016, a total of 784 motorcycle crashes were extracted from the Tanzania police force records. The severity categories were fatality, severe injury, minor injury, and property damage only. A multinomial logit analysis was performed. The following factors were found to increase the probability of a fatality: speeding, driving under influence, head-on impact type, presence of horizontal curves, reckless riding, during off peak hours, violations, and riding without helmets. The results indicate that crashes occurring on weekdays, during peak hours, at intersections, rear-end impact type, in daylight, on street roads, and under clear weather conditions decrease the probability of a fatality. However, minor injuries and property damage only crashes are associated with crashes occurring during peak hours, at intersections, at street roads, and failure to yield right-of-way. From the findings, several countermeasures are recommended. The proposed countermeasures take the holistic safety improvement strategies encompassing the three E’s of highway safety, namely engineering, education, and enforcement. |
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